Exploring the World of Otolaryngology through the AAO-HNSF ICS Network

Mark E. Zafereo, Jr., MD
AAO-HNSF Coordinator for International AffairsMark E. Zafereo, Jr., MD
AAO-HNSF Coordinator for International Affairs

With countries around the world reopening their borders as we enter the endemic phase of COVID-19, the Academy and many of our International Corresponding Societies (ICSs) will resume planning and participating at in-person global meetings and events. Although the AAO-HNSF has worked hard throughout the pandemic to maintain relationships and opportunities with our ICS partners through initiatives such as the Global Grand Rounds Webinar Series and virtual Joint Meetings, we are elated to celebrate the return of face-to-face interactions. As we experienced at the AAO-HNSF 2021 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Los Angeles, in-person collaboration enhances relationships and drives innovation—there’s no substitute for personal interaction among colleagues.

This spring, I along with other AAO-HNSF faculty, jumped at the opportunity to dust off our passports, take to the skies, and once again begin exploring the world of otolaryngology through Joint Meetings with the Academy’s well-established ICS network, consisting of 75+ societies worldwide. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had been over two years since the Academy participated in an in-person ICS Joint Meeting abroad, and our recent participation at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and the Balkan Society of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery 12th Congress served as welcome reminders of how important these events and global collaborations are to our specialty.

Academy Leaders with Host and ICS Leadership, Hanover, Germany
Featured, left to right, Mark E. Zafereo, Jr., MD, AAO-HNSF International Coordinator; Prof. Hans-Jürgen Welkoborsky, MD, DDS, PhD, President, German Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery; James C. Denneny III, MD, AAO-HNS/F Executive Vice President and CEO; and Prof. Cem Meco, MD, FEBORL-HNS, President, Confederation of European ORL-HNS, 2020-2022.

Interface—The Focus on Human Individual in the Age of High Tech Medicine and Technology was the theme of the 93rd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, held in Hanover, Germany, May 25-28. The AAO-HNSF delegation, which included 20 faculty colleagues, was honored to present during the Congress that brought together over 2,000 attendees, predominately from Germany and other European nations. A program highlight was the 16th International Forum, a Joint Meeting between the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and the AAO-HNSF and included participation of the Austrian Society of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, the German Society of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology, the Confederation of European Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, and the Chinese Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Society. 

Ukraine was honored as the Congress’s 2022 Guest Country. The International Forum’s various lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions provided a tremendous opportunity to share and learn about our specialty’s latest clinical data and medical advances as well as meet and network with global otolaryngology colleagues. Congratulations to President Hans-Jürgen Welkoborsky, MD, DDS, PhD, and the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery for hosting such an engaging and collegial event.

Opening Ceremony of 12th Balkan Congress, Ohrid, North Macedonia
Featured, left to right, Frodita Jakimovska, MD, President, 12th Balkan Congress ORL&HNS; Prof. Cem Meco, MD, FEBORL-HNS, President, CEORL-HNS 2020-2022; Marina Davcheva-Chakar, MD, President, Balkan ORL&HNS Society; Prof. Hesham Negm, MD, Faculty of Medicine Cairo University; Prof. Karl Hoermann, MD, AAO-HNSF 2021 IAB Chair; Maria V. Suurna, MD, AAO-HNS Regional Advisor to Europe; Kathleen L. Yaremchuk, MD, MS, AAO-HNS/F President-elect; and Jane Netkovski, MD, Vice President of Balkan ORL&HNS Society and 12th Balkan Congress ORL&HNS.

With great success, the Balkan Society of the Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Macedonian Society of Otorhinolaryngology, hosted the 12th Balkan Congress of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, a Joint Meeting with the AAO-HNSF in Ohrid, North Macedonia, June 1-5. The meeting was well attended, with participants representing Europe and various countries worldwide. Traveling from the United States, AAO-HNSF faculty proudly participated in multiple joint roundtables and plenary sessions, representing head and neck surgery, rhinology/skull base, and sleep surgery subspecialties. 

A Congress highlight included “The Evolution of Multidisciplinary Management of Cancer of the Head and Neck,” the keynote lecture given by Eugene N. Myers, MD, FRCS Edin (Hon). Dr. Myers, who served as AAO-HNS/F President from 1994 to 1995 and was responsible for creating the Academy’s International Affairs Program and serving as the Academy’s first International Coordinator from 1996 to 2002, was awarded an honorary membership of the Balkan Society. Academy member Thomas J. Balkany, MD, professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine was also recognized with honorary membership. Maria V. Suurna, MD, AAO-HNSF Regional Advisor to Europe, was awarded a certificate of appreciation for her contributions to the organization of the Congress. The Academy thanks Dr. Suurna for her continuous efforts promoting communications and collaboration with all AAO-HNSF ICS European partners. 

To learn more about AAO-HNSF Joint Meetings, including how to become a member of the AAO-HNSF Joint Meeting faculty, visit www.entnet.org/international-joint-meetings.